Massa feels that Alonso always treated him well and that their friendship is genuine.

Funny how some people believed the McLaren PR, "Lewis and Button BFF" and dismished Fernando and Felipe friendship back in the day. The true always comes to the surface.

Montezemolo has said that Felipe will help the team, yet to be seen if "I race for myself now" will be a reality or a dream. I hope they let him do his thing, The chances of winning the WDC are close to zero, in the other hand they need to work hard to get 2nd in the WCC.

Ferrari could have done with Massa attacking in 2010 and a bit more in 2012 - had he shown the late season form in 2012 a bit earlier (and in 2010) then that would have meant points taken off the Red Bulls.

For example, Spa 2012 - Vettel drove an absolutely storming race to finish 2nd after qualifying in 11th, and Ferrari could have done with Massa taking that 2nd place instead. Likewise, in Abu Dhabi they could have done with Massa finishing 3rd instead of Vettel finishing 3rd.

Massa says that he's going to attack, huh? Well, let's just take a look at how he's fared. Alonso and Massa over the last three years (including 2013)...

Alonso
Wins: 6
Podiums: 30

Points: 704

Massa
Wins: 0
Podiums: 3

Points: 319

Well Felipe Baby, you better fight awfully hard, because you look pretty lousy in comparison to your teammate! Kind of sad that a Ferraridriver has accomplished so little as of late while the guy sitting in the other car is a championship contender year in and year out.

If there really is a noticeable uptick in Felipe's driving/aggressiveness these last 7 races, I think Ferrari could rightly ask where this driver was the last 4 years. Perhaps, if he'd driven like that he'd have earned an extended contract and Ferrari might have had some additional championship trophies. As it is, if he only starts to "turn it up" now, that would raise a number of questions about his prior efforts and dedication and would fully justify Ferrari sacking him.

Massa's problem was of course his injury. The time it takes to get back up to speed is roughly the time absent from the sport.

The problem was that that meant that, when he recovered fully, and was heading for a win, he was told to give it up to Alonso.

He's been psychologically dead ever since.

If that was so, and if he really believed the supporting role he had to play was the reason for his lack of performance (as his recent interview appears to hint) why on Earth did he hang on to Ferrari for three more years? You can't have the cake and eat it.

Massa has come across to me in the past few years as quite a bitter wee guy. I think it really affects him that he did not win that WDC in 2008. I have always thought that Massa believes that Alonso knew about "crashgate" all along and secretly blames him for not winning the title. Then of course Massa's misery was compounded when he had his accident and shortly afterwards Alonso became his new team-mate, pushing him into the role of put-upon No. 2 driver. Pretty much nothing has gone right for him since 2008!

I can't see Massa being able to help Alonso anyway, even if he wanted to...it's a bit difficult when you are about 25 seconds down the road.

If that was so, and if he really believed the supporting role he had to play was the reason for his lack of performance (as his recent interview appears to hint) why on Earth did he hang on to Ferrari for three more years? You can't have the cake and eat it.

He's like Woobins, it's an easy excuse for not winning more once you're out; "they were shafting me all to hell yet I kept on re-signing even when other offers were available". Of course they suffered partly from team orders, but their real biggest problems were M. Schumacher and F. Alonso.

If that was so, and if he really believed the supporting role he had to play was the reason for his lack of performance (as his recent interview appears to hint) why on Earth did he hang on to Ferrari for three more years? You can't have the cake and eat it.

And as a result of placating St Fernando, Ferrari cut off its right bollock. Long-term it was disastrous. Ferrari hasn't had a sniff of the WCC since; it's taken four years to get a racer in the second car.

If Massa had been in front of Alonso in the WDC in Hock2010, if Massa had been faster than Alonso (and not the contrary), if Massa had had a strong mind that it´s supposed in a driver with that level in a top team, if Massa had stolen only a few points from Vettel in 2010 and 2012, aaahhh if if

A shame that he's going to be leaving so ungracefully. Let's not pretend here that he's been held back by helping Alonso, fact of the matter is he hasn't really helped Alonso's cause for the WDC as much as a team-mate should have. Yes he moved out of the way one or two races a season, but he should have been taking points off Alonso's rivals which he's hardly ever done.

Couldn't even hold on to the podium position ahead of Webber at Monza ffs, despite Ferrari throwing the optimum pit stop strategies at him to get that double Ferrari podium in front of the tifosi.

Massa insists that he's the same driver as he was in 2008. That's the problem. He's stood still whilst the rest of the grid has stepped up the level entirely. Vettel, Alonso, Kimi, Hamilton, they're all above and beyond the level they were in back in 2008.

Oh good. Massa will attack from now on. (it's a bit late - I'm sure Ferrari thinks the same, but nevermind)

So - from now on I expect to see a huge improvement in performance from Felipe baby. . Bring it on!

(saracsm aside - I like Massa, he strikes me as a very good and kind bloke, but sometimes it's better - not just in F1- but in all phases we are going through in life to keep our mouths shut. This is such an occasion)

If that was so, and if he really believed the supporting role he had to play was the reason for his lack of performance (as his recent interview appears to hint) why on Earth did he hang on to Ferrari for three more years? You can't have the cake and eat it.

It's not that weird really. After he saw that he will not be able to win WDC and that Ferrari is commited to Alonso for a long time - he became one of those employees that are content to just 'be there' and do enough not to get fired. Happens in every line of work on a daily basis and after few months/years such people are usually let go.

No one would begrudge him if he stated that he needs to give 100% to show other teams what he is capable of in the remaining races.. that's fine. But to suggest that he has in some way been denied the chance to shine at Ferrari is a bit silly really.

No one would begrudge him if he stated that he needs to give 100% to show other teams what he is capable of in the remaining races.. that's fine. But to suggest that he has in some way been denied the chance to shine at Ferrari is a bit silly really.

Massa says that he's going to attack, huh? Well, let's just take a look at how he's fared. Alonso and Massa over the last three years (including 2013)...

Alonso
Wins: 6
Podiums: 30
Points: 704

Massa
Wins: 0
Podiums: 3
Points: 319

Well Felipe Baby, you better fight awfully hard, because you look pretty lousy in comparison to your teammate! Kind of sad that a Ferraridriver has accomplished so little as of late while the guy sitting in the other car is a championship contender year in and year out.

This is so wrong. You should immedately adjust those stats. The points Massa donated to Alonso should be added into Massas points. Then they would be quite even.

The only reason Alonso held of Webber was that the RB started having some problems and they told him to back off.

Massa raced against Webber in normal mode...

I'm not talking about Alonso in the final stint.

In the first stint, Massa was running 3rd with Webber 4th, with Alonso already having pulled out a 6 second gap after he passed Massa. Following the pit stop, Webber was ahead of Massa. Alonso showed the pace was clearly in the car, and Massa should have stuck with him. Instead he fell within the clutches of Webber and lost the podium.

So, he made a conscious choice to stay at a team he knew would never give him equal chance to win, just because that would guarantee him a few million r£a$on$. Sorry, but in this case suck it up man, and don't bemoan the fact you were not "allowed to look after yourself" all these years.

Not to mention, if that really is the attitude he was lodged in, then he is in fact psychologically dead F1-wise; albeit for totally different reasons to the ones you suggested in your previous post...

This is so wrong. You should immedately adjust those stats. The points Massa donated to Alonso should be added into Massas points. Then they would be quite even.

I assume you jest?

I'm fairly sure I could count on one hand the number of times Massa has let Alonso overtake him in races, and of those I can't think of a single instance where, having ceded the position, Massa looked remotely capable of keeping up with Alonso. That means that, while the team orders definitely made Alonso's life easier in those instances, since Massa was slower there's no hard evidence that he would have been able to fend off an attack from Alonso had they been permitted to race. Nonetheless if we take those as "donated" points I'd still like to know by what mathematical sorcery you'd be able to get that gap down to less than 300-odd points?

A lot of the comments in this thread are short sighted to say the least. Looking at how the drivers race results compare over the last three seasons and making conclusions on the relative competitiveness of the drivers is foolish.

In Formula 1, the cars are prototypes. When a new part is made and is found to be superior to its existing counterpart, the teams are forced to make a decision on who to give the superior part to. So the argument of both drivers having the same car is naive at best.

Secondly, do you think teams put both drivers out on the same strategy? Some drivers have their races compromised before the race starts because when teams aren't sure if plan A will work, they sacrifice their second drivers race on a high risk approach. Webber's win at the Hungaroring is a perfect example of this.

Thankfully for Felipe's sake, he has Germany 2010 to look back to as proof that Ferrari considered his races to be sacrificial to Alonso. Excuse me, Santandar considers Massa's races fodder for Alonso. Ferrari are just the puppets who do whatever the cash tells them to do.

I for one salute Felipe. Should have been champion in 2008 had Ferrari not dropped the ball. The guy even sacrificed his home GP win in order for his teammate, Kimi, to win his only title. In spite of all this, all people do is look at the final points standings and claim it as proof of his short comings...

I have been wondering that since the Hockenheim incident. It was obvious that Massa would never even get a chance to run for the WDC and he must have realized that. He must also have realized that Alonso had a long term contract and his waiting for his turn would be long. Maybe he loved being a Ferrari driver so much he did not notice how his shares dived and kept sinking.

There is quite a possibility that Massa's rather mediocre performances the last couple of years is a direct result of realizing he was just a servant, realizing that the extra tenth here and there would not take him out of the shadows. F1, well all sports particularly at elite level, requires a 100% motivation for 100% performance. If your mind is not on winning, you will probably not win.

Do it Felipe, show us we were wrong, show the other team bosses you are still a force to be reckoned with. Ferrari wont like it, but, and I know it hurts, they was never your family.

I wish Felipe a couple of good results in his last races as a Ferrari driver but won't hold my breath.

He had a good run initially but after he returned from his accident his results were abysmal although his feud with Lewis in 2011 was quite entertaining

Best thing to do for him now is drive a few strong races and show if need be that he's still a team player.

That would be his best chance for a decent seat in 2014 imo

Except for when he was leading the WDC in the beginning of 2010... A couple of bad luck races and his points fell, and Ferrari disallowed him from making them up (in fact he was making up 7 points when he was called off the win in Germany).

So it would be more accurate to say that Massa hasn't returned to his POST accident form of early 2010.

Except for when he was leading the WDC in the beginning of 2010... A couple of bad luck races and his points fell, and Ferrari disallowed him from making them up (in fact he was making up 7 points when he was called off the win in Germany).

So it would be more accurate to say that Massa hasn't returned to his POST accident form of early 2010.

While I agree the accident has nothing to do with it, when leading early in 2010, it was due to incidents, like rain in Australia, and then after Germany he still put in good races, like Italy... then completely faded after Alonso's Korean win.

As well towards the end of last year, he was racing damn well.

So it's not the accident, nor the team order issue. Clearly something else upstairs.

A lot of the comments in this thread are short sighted to say the least. Looking at how the drivers race results compare over the last three seasons and making conclusions on the relative competitiveness of the drivers is foolish.

In Formula 1, the cars are prototypes. When a new part is made and is found to be superior to its existing counterpart, the teams are forced to make a decision on who to give the superior part to. So the argument of both drivers having the same car is naive at best.

Secondly, do you think teams put both drivers out on the same strategy? Some drivers have their races compromised before the race starts because when teams aren't sure if plan A will work, they sacrifice their second drivers race on a high risk approach. Webber's win at the Hungaroring is a perfect example of this.

Thankfully for Felipe's sake, he has Germany 2010 to look back to as proof that Ferrari considered his races to be sacrificial to Alonso. Excuse me, Santandar considers Massa's races fodder for Alonso. Ferrari are just the puppets who do whatever the cash tells them to do.

I for one salute Felipe. Should have been champion in 2008 had Ferrari not dropped the ball. The guy even sacrificed his home GP win in order for his teammate, Kimi, to win his only title. In spite of all this, all people do is look at the final points standings and claim it as proof of his short comings...

His shortcoming is not just results, its the lack of attitude. What do you think would happen to Hamilton if he didn't make a fuss after Monaco 2007. and if he generally didn't make it very clear that he is here to win? If Felipe disobeyed team it would be a wilder ride for him and he'd probably get fired sooner, but that way he'd still have a chance of proving himself again with another team.

But Felipe Massa, who looked every inch like a nice fellow, gamely answered, pronouncing an emphatic "No!" to the delight of his fans. The place erupted in applause, and Massa was deliciously cheered by his adoring audience (one of whom even posted a message of jubilation on Facebook).

While I agree the accident has nothing to do with it, when leading early in 2010, it was due to incidents, like rain in Australia, and then after Germany he still put in good races, like Italy... then completely faded after Alonso's Korean win.

As well towards the end of last year, he was racing damn well.

So it's not the accident, nor the team order issue. Clearly something else upstairs.

People keep overanalyzing. It's like asking why is Webber good only in Europe. Why de Cesaris crashed half the time and couldn't replicate his Spa 1991 drive. Why didn't others perform all the time, only sometimes.

Well, that's WHY they are called INconsistent drivers. Can't keep up their form all the time. Not to do with contract extensions, team orders or stuff like that. Just a natural stuff for these blokes.